Superman
by Troublesome Dragon
Summary: Carly clearly wants to be the Lois Lane to someone's Superman. Jack realizes that if anyone's Superman in their universe it's Yusei. Jack's paranoia kicks in, and he jumps in headfirst as usual.


Superman

Jack had spent far too much time in the hospital as of late, and he wasn't looking like his best self. His clothes were wrinkled, and his eyes were red and puffy from what he'd claimed were allergies, but Yusei being Yusei had been kind enough to not say anything. Already prone to insomnia, Yusei wasn't faring much better, the huge bags under his eyes making him look like a zombie. They were both simply waiting out the clock until official hospital visiting hours began. Jack had originally planned to join Yusei and visit Kiryu first, but he'd given it more thought since they'd been dragged into this mess, and he'd decided to visit Carly first. Even without him, Kiryu would have Yusei and Crow (once he managed to get off of work) to keep him company. Carly had no one.

By all rights, none of this should be happening. They'd defeated the big old evil. Saved the day, and hey, their friends weren't even dead. Happy endings all around right? Nope, turns out living your life as a half zombie creature did have some kind of side effect, Carly had collapsed back into his arms seconds after she'd been brought back. Giving her just enough time to give him the most devastating smile before he had to rush her to the ICU.

Sure, by the grace of the Crimson Dragon, Carly managed to hang on long enough to make it to the hospital, but she'd remained in critical condition. Body going into shock for reasons the hospital staff couldn't comprehend, not helped by the three other dark signers quickly following suit. Panicking, he'd nearly taken on the entire hospital staff when they insisted he stay back. Yusei had knocked some sense into him, and he'd backed off. He'd have enough time to return the favor ten fold next time Yusei made a stupid decision. Granted, that didn't happen often but still.

Neither of them had left the hospital since then. Jack remembered vaguely blacking out and waking up stiff in the hospital waiting room a few times between coffee runs. During the first few days the doctors threw a bunch of technical jargon at him that basically told him that they had no idea what was happening to any of them, Yusei knew enough to ask some follow up questions but ultimately confirmed his suspicions.

The others stopped by to check on them often. Aki in particular came to ask after Misty and usually insisted on buying Yusei lunch in the interim. He'd get a free lunch out of it too since Yusei always asked him to join them. Although the answer was obvious, neither would admit to forgetting to eat and always brushed off comments on their apparent exhaustion, and if Crow felt he could take them both on at the same time, he'd likely would have dragged them home by now. Jack and Yusei pretended not to hear whispers of bringing Ushio as back up if the situation got any worse.

Thankfully, by the third day of their stay, the former dark signers began to get miraculously better, and two days later, they'd finally been granted visiting rights. Jack and Yusei stopped by the information desk, and Yusei easily sweet talked the nurse into letting them visit a few minutes early. Giving each other one final look of understanding, they took off in separate directions.

Eager but mindful of what she'd been through the last few days, he softly knocked on Carly's door. He was genuinely surprised to hear her excited high pitched voice again.

"Come on in Jack, I've been expecting you."

Having lost about ninety percent of his impulse control from lack of sleep, he barged in dramatically. Jack felt his eye twitch as he noted her perfectly healthy complexion, and the fact that for once he didn't have Carly's full attention.

"You've been reading american comics?" he asked suspiciously, bending down to examine the cover.

The figure was fairly recognizable in his typical red and blue superhero suit, brandishing a red and yellow S on his chest. He had a determined look on his face as he lifted up a wrecked car. The three civilians surrounding him were in varying states of anguish, cowering in a pile of debris that was reminiscent of Satellite.

Come to think of it, he didn't know much about Carly while she knew just about everything important about him. That wasn't exactly fair, was it?

"Yeah, my father must have dropped them off for me at some point. He came from the states," Carly explained.

Jack nodded, satisfied for now. She was still deeply engrossed in the comic, giggling madly. He frowned, annoyed by how much this irritated him. Superman wasn't real, idiot.

"You like Superman?" he tried to frame it as a casual question, but it came off as a lot more accusatory than he would have liked.

Unfortunately, Carly caught his shift in tone and shrank back a little, putting the comic down. Jack swore to himself when she smiled nervously, stuttering slightly.

"Y-Yeah, I do. I mean he's perfect. "

The words stung more than he should have, perfect. Jack was far from perfect. He was already making mistakes.

"Explain," he said, keeping his tone even.

It didn't stop Carly from getting nervous, if anything she grew more flustered. Rubbing her neck, she looked out the window, avoiding eye contact with him.

"He's selfless, kind, and no matter what the world throws at him, he stays that way. It's admirable. Isn't it? "

Jack tried not to think of who that reminded him of. He nodded stiffly.

"I suppose so. Doesn't that get boring?" Jack challenged.

He was a lot of things, but he wasn't boring. Carly smiled dreamily, grabbing a different comic from the small nightstand by her hospital bed. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.

"I don't know. I think I'd like someone that could catch me when I fall," she said, proudly showing him an image of Superman effortlessly rescuing Lois Lane mid flight from nearly falling to her death. Jack flinched, reminded of his own failure. She'd died, and he'd been unable to save her.

"Is everything okay, Jack? It doesn't look like you've slept in over a week. If you need to rest, you can go. You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," Carly said, placing a caring hand on his shoulder.

Carly had nearly died twice now, and she was still worried about him. He shook his head, snatching the hand resting on his shoulder and pulling it close to his heart. Squirming, she tried to pull back, blushing furiously.

"Ehh? Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I promise I'll never let anything bad happen to you ever again," he vowed.

"Oh Jack, whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. I'm sure of it," Carly said, blinking slowly and for a second, he held his breath thinking she'd remember something. She shook her head, and the hope (fear?) dissipated.

"That's not the point. I'm going to protect you from now on, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," Jack said, growing more agitated.

If anything, this was her fault. Who goes around looking into powerful cult leaders? You're own stupid Lois Lane. And, guess what? You can't fly.

Jack needed to be more proactive about this.

"So, tell me next time you're looking into someone dangerous, or I'll bust down your door and find out what you're up to myself," he threatened.

Carly nodded, laughing as she leaned in closer.

"Why would I ever stop you?" she asked coyly.

Jack froze, unsure how to proceed. She looked fully recovered, but her injuries had been somewhat mystically induced. So, how was he supposed to know if she was well enough to- wait, what did he even think was going to happen in a hospital in the middle of the day? The door opened, and Carly turned away from him, smile growing uncertain.

"Oh, hi Yusei, I'm glad you're okay, " she said, eyes glazing over slightly.

"Something really bad happened to you last time, I think," she said, finally self aware enough to pull away from him completely. Jack reluctantly let her go.

"You weren't interrupting anything," she shouted suddenly.

Yusei chuckled, smiling warmly. He was in a better mood now that he knew Kiryu was fine. At least, Jack assumed Kiryu was back to his old self if he was smiling like that. Yusei caught his eye, subtly tilting his head up to let him know Kiryu was ready to see him.

"I know. I was actually just stopping by to see Jack, but I'm relieved to see you've recovered as well," Yusei said, stepping inside.

"Are they releasing you tomorrow too?" Yusei asked.

"Yup, my dad's picking me up. I don't think I want to risk driving right now. I still feel a little off," Carly said, hastily picking up her forgotten comics when she noticed Yusei wasn't in any hurry to leave. Of course, Yusei noticed and sat right between them.

"You like comic books? Crow collects them. Maybe, he has a few you'd be interested in," Yusei offered.

Jack relaxed, berating himself for thinking even for a minute they'd have anything in common. Crow was the one that liked drawing his own little comic books as a kid. He didn't have anything to worry about. Just because he'd made the connection, it didn't mean Carly had picked up on the fact Yusei was Superman incarnate. Martha had literally found him in a capsule for Red Demon's sake!

"No thanks, I doubt Crow would want anything to do with me, and I'm not interested in making any trades or anything like that," Carly said shyly, completely against the idea.

"Are you sure? Crow doesn't bite." Yusei reasoned, same kind smile as always.

Today, it irked him. Carly wrung her hands, biting her lip.

"Yes, I don't know how to explain it, but I just have this feeling we won't get along," Carly said, a far away look in her eyes.

Jack arched an eyebrow. She'd once told him that she could sense the future sometimes. He dismissed the idea. Carly had been bed ridden and near death for most of the week. And, an ancient Incan deity had manipulated her and put elaborate lies about their future in her head before that. It made sense she'd act a little strange.

Hadn't she mentioned she needed a ride home? Why hadn't he jumped on that? Okay, maybe he was a little curious about her father, but there was no reason to drag the old man here when he was perfectly capable of taking her home.

"Then, I'll bring you some comics myself. He'll give them to me. He has to. We're family," Yusei said, half joking. Jack knew perfectly well that Yusei would wrestle Crow for comic book rights if it came down to it. He just didn't understand why he was suddenly so fixated on getting comics for Carly.

"You really don't have to," Carly said, covering half her face, weirdly guilty. Yusei placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I insist, and we'll make sure you and Crow start off on the right foot too," Yusei promised.

Carly nodded, putting her hands on her lap. She really looked at him for the first time since he came in and smiled, a very familiar smile. A smile she normally reserved for him alone.

"I never noticed before, but your eyes are really blue, " she said, immediately covering her mouth again, embarrassed. Jack's heart leapt into his throat.

Yeah, eyes as blue as Superman's, how was he supposed to compete with that?

Thankfully, Yusei didn't seem to get it. He blinked, taking off her glasses.

"Yeah, and your eyes are grey now that I have a good look at them," he said, inspecting them as if he were looking at a museum piece, pretty but off limits. He gave her back her glasses. She was blushing madly.

"Sorry that was dumb of me to say," she said, shaking off her sudden feelings.

"You really shouldn't be so down on yourself, Carly. You were comatose a few days ago. You being able to differentiate colors is a good sign, " Yusei said doing his best to cheer her up.

Was he really that dense? Or was he trying way too hard to make sure the conversation didn't turn awkward? Why was he even still hanging around? What happened to just dropping by?

Jack did his best to snap himself out of it. This was Yusei he was talking about. He didn't have an ulterior motive for being here. Jack was letting himself get paranoid over nothing, less than nothing. Of course, Yusei was being nice to someone who'd been in the hospital for the last week. He was a good person.

"Besides, since you're dating Jack, you're family now. No more of that negative self talk okay," Yusei said, not realizing the bombshell he just dropped.

"I'm doing what now?" Carly said, slightly pale.

Did she think that was bad news? Jack made a snap decision. Now wasn't the time to discuss what had happened during her near death experience.

"We're just friends," Jack said through clenched teeth. It's not what he wanted, but it's what she needed to hear right now. Yusei frowned.

"But during the duel with Godwin, you said she was the woman you-"

Jack managed to tackle him to the ground before he could get the last word out. And as promised, he punched him in the gut several times for his indiscretion. Carly caught what he was about to say anyway. He hadn't even come close to stopping Yusei in time. She grabbed a fistful of the flimsy sheets on the hospital bed.

"Stop beating up, Yusei. I already knew you loved me Jack. I just didn't think-" Carly trailed off, shaking her head again.

"Would you even want to-" she started to say.

Jack scrambled off Yusei, getting one last punch in. Still on his knees, he made his way over to her and clasped her hands.

"Yes, don't date Superman. Date me," Jack practically shouted, realizing seconds too late how crazy he sounded out of context.

Carly didn't seem to mind. Her whole face turned cherry red, and she was tilting from side to side as if she was about to faint. Actually, she might be. He stood up abruptly, steadying her shoulders.

"I'm all yours, Jack," she said, not all there yet. In fact, she was nearly delirious as she clung to his jacket. Eyes unfocused but in aimed in his general direction as she gave him a wobbly smile.

"Sure, just don't faint on me or they'll end up keeping you here longer," Jack said.

By now, Yusei was on his feet, dusting himself off. Rubbing his bruised cheek, he shot Jack an unexpected apologetic look.

"Kiryu remembered everything. So I assumed- I didn't mean to butt in."

Jack nodded. That was easy enough to piece together now that he wasn't panicking. Yusei sat down next to Jack.

"Do I want to know who Superman is in this scenario?" he asked.

Jack shook his head. He really was that dense about this stuff.

Kiryu marched in, extremely put out that Jack hadn't shown up. He'd somehow managed to find some contraband liquor on his way here and was drinking straight from the bottle. He didn't register their presence in Carly's room right away, distracted by the alcohol in his hand. He sloshed the bottle around as he began his tirade.

"Hey Carly, you wouldn't believe the day I had. Yusei comes in looking like the walking dead, crying his eyes out. So, I had to send him packing. Crow only had time to bring me some cheap liquor. And Jack didn't even- Ah, hey guys," Kiryu said sheepishly.

Shooting daggers at Kiryu, Yusei confiscated the liquor. The last few days must have done a number on him because he finished the entire thing in two gulps.

"Wait a minute, what are you two even doing here? Well, I know why Jack's here, but you really should be in bed. It hurts me to look at you," Kiryu scolded.

"Misunderstanding, it's been taken care of," Yusei said flatly. He didn't elaborate which suited Jack just fine. There was no version of this story where he came out looking good.

Snapping out of her daze, Carly picked up the closest comic book in sight and showed it to Kiryu. It was the wedding issue, great.

"Jack was so upset that I like Superman that we're officially together now, " Carly blurted out.

Did she really think that the only reason they'd gotten together was because he was jealous of a fictional character? Jack decided to stay silent. Anything he said now would just make the situation worse.

Kiryu laughed his unsettling laugh. He looked between them and pieced together what actually happened in seconds.

"Oh Carly, that's definitely not what happened, but as long as you're happy, I'm happy," Kiryu said, sitting next to Carly so he was comfortably cross legged on her pillow .

"But if you blow this Jack, we will all take Carly's side in the divorce," Kiryu said gleefully wrapping his arm around Carly for emphasis.

Completely used to Kiryu's asides, Carly rolled her eyes and swatted him on the shoulder. Jack was about to shoot back a retort when he noticed Yusei wholeheartedly agreeing.

"Et tu, Yusei," he said disheartened.

Why did they have to gang up on him just when he was finally getting over his paranoia?

Yusei simply smiled his kind warm smile. And, Jack really wanted to punch him in the face for being so damn understanding all the time when he wasn't stealing Kiryu's liquor.

"I already welcomed her into the family, Jack. There's not taking that back," Yusei said, cutting through the air with his hand for emphasis before throwing one last sucker punch at him.

"And, I think we both know you'd end up causing the break up, Lex Luthor."

* * *

_Slightly AU because of the whole the dark signers end up in the hospital after being returned to their bodies. And the whole Kiryu not taking off for Crashtown right away after finding out the truth. (He spirals later in this particular scenario.) Stop giving him alcohol, Crow!_

_You can probably tell that I've thought about Yusei having weird Superman parallels a lot. This fic was suppose to be about Jack choosing to keep Carly away from Yusei in particular but it never got that far because Yusei is a good boy who was being nice to his sister-in-law. It would have boiled down to this. _

_ Carly: Hey, since Yusei and Crow are your best friends, shouldn't we hang out with them more so I can get to know them?_

_Jack: I've stopped three crime syndicates this week for you woman. What more do you want?_

_Carly: -_-o Never mind then. _


End file.
